Energy, Utilities & Water  July 18, 2022

Terracon acquires Drilling Engineers Inc.

FORT COLLINS – Drilling Engineers Inc., a Fort Collins-based drilling company, has been acquired by employee-owned engineering consulting firm Terracon Consultants Inc.

The cash value of the acquisition, which closed Friday, was not disclosed.

Terracon spokesperson Brenda Kramer described the acquisition as an “asset transaction. We hired 100% of the employee population of DEI.” She said DEI had not been employee-owned, but its employees are part owners of Terracon now.

DEI was rebranded as Terracon and will continue to operate its original 1309 Duff Drive location in Fort Collins, with support from Terracon’s existing location at 1901 Sharp Point Drive in the same city as well as offices at 1510 44th St. Unit 1 in Greeley and 1831 Lefthand Circle, Unit B, in Longmont. Terracon’s 175 locations nationwide also include offices in Wheat Ridge and Colorado Springs.

Kramer said the former DEI location in Fort Collins will be referred to as “Fort Collins Exploration Services” and will be Terracon’s primary location that offers drilling. The existing Terracon office in Fort Collins, she said, is a full service location offering a variety of services to clients.

Based in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, Kansas, Terracon employs more than 5,500 people who provide data-driven engineering and technical insights. It consistently is listed as a top 25 design firm as ranked by Engineering News-Record.

“Joining Terracon is the next step for DEI in decades of continuous growth to becoming one of the most dependable and professional drilling companies in the West,” said Rick Rogers, DEI’s president, in a media release issued today. “The addition of Terracon’s national resources and expertise will allow us to provide our clients with enhanced capabilities while still providing the same reliable service they expect.”

Rogers will be an office manager and “senior associate” for Terracon, Kramer said.

Added Gayle Packer, Terracon’s president, chief executive and board chair, “By combining with Terracon, DEI now can offer clients the resources of the largest drilling fleet of any engineering consulting firm in the United States. We are excited to welcome the DEI team to Terracon.”

For nearly 60 years, DEI has served public- and private-sector clients with a suite of subsurface drilling services and has a long history of collaboration with Terracon. Its portfolio includes residential and commercial development, forensic studies, dam design and evaluation, slurry wall design, pavement analysis, mineral exploration, and environmental investigation and remediation.

DEI is Terracon’s second acquisition in 2022. Earlier, it purchased Wang Engineering Inc. of Illinois. It has completed 17 acquisitions since the beginning of 2017.

FORT COLLINS – Drilling Engineers Inc., a Fort Collins-based drilling company, has been acquired by employee-owned engineering consulting firm Terracon Consultants Inc.

The cash value of the acquisition, which closed Friday, was not disclosed.

Terracon spokesperson Brenda Kramer described the acquisition as an “asset transaction. We hired 100% of the employee population of DEI.” She said DEI had not been employee-owned, but its employees are part owners of Terracon now.

DEI was rebranded as Terracon and will continue to operate its original 1309 Duff Drive location in Fort Collins, with support from Terracon’s existing location at 1901 Sharp Point Drive in the same…

Dallas Heltzell
With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
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